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The University of Texas at AustinTue, 03 Mar 2015 23:05:09 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1Newly Cataloged Collection of Science Materials Now Open for Researchhttp://www.utexas.edu/news/2012/02/28/cataloged_science_materials/
http://www.utexas.edu/news/2012/02/28/cataloged_science_materials/#commentsTue, 28 Feb 2012 17:22:48 +0000Alicia Dietrichhttp://www.utexas.edu/news/2012/02/28/» Continue Reading]]>A collection of science materials from the family of Sir John F. W. Herschel (1792–1871) is now open for research after a $10,000 grant enabled staffers to rehouse the collection and to create an online inventory.

A drawing of Halley's Comet by Caroline Herschel in 1835–1836.

The Herschel family papers, acquired in 1960 with subsequent smaller accessions of additional materials, largely represent the life and work of Herschel, the English mathematician, astronomer, chemist and experimental photographer/inventor. John Herschel has been called Britain's first modern physical scientist, and his correspondence has been noted as one of the most valuable archives for 19th-century science.

"The Herschel family archive is the most important history of science collection at the Ransom Center," said Richard Oram, associate director and Hobby Foundation Librarian at the Ransom Center. "The Herschels dominated the natural sciences in England for more than 100 years. While we have significant material relating to William Herschel, the discover of the planet Uranus, and his sister Caroline, who is now regarded as a pioneering female scientist, the most important holding is the correspondence of John Herschel, who, together with Darwin, towers over the Victorian scientific world."

The Herschel family papers at the Ransom Center form a significant resource for the study of the history of science in general and also for studies in astronomy, chemistry, physics and mathematics. The lives of the Herschels, their ground-breaking achievements, their interactions with other leading scientists of their time and their influence on their colleagues' work are topics scholars may pursue in the papers. The Ransom Center's Herschel collection is exceeded in size only by the collection at the Royal Society in London.

The cataloging project was funded by a $10,000 grant from the Friends of the Center for History of Physics at the American Institute of Physics.

High-resolution press images relating to the Herschel papers are available.

]]>http://www.utexas.edu/news/2012/02/28/cataloged_science_materials/feed/034243cataloged_science_materialscataloged_science_materials2012Ransom Center Receives $10,000 Grant To Catalog Collection of Science Materialshttp://www.utexas.edu/news/2011/01/20/hrc_science/
http://www.utexas.edu/news/2011/01/20/hrc_science/#commentsThu, 20 Jan 2011 19:56:53 +0000Alicia Dietrichhttp://www.utexas.edu/news/2011/01/20/» Continue Reading]]>The Harry Ransom Center, a humanities research library and museum at The University of Texas at Austin, has received a $10,000 grant from the Friends of the Center for History of Physics at the American Institute of Physics to rehouse and rearrange its holdings of the Herschel family papers and to create an online finding aid.

A drawing of Halley's Comet by Caroline Herschel in 1835–1836.

The Herschel family papers, acquired in 1960 with subsequent smaller accessions of additional materials, largely represent the life and work of Sir John F. W. Herschel (1792-1871), the English mathematician, astronomer, chemist and experimental photographer/inventor. John Herschel has been called Britain's first modern physical scientist, and his correspondence has been noted as one of the most valuable archives for 19th-century science.

The papers also contain manuscripts and correspondence by and about other members of the Herschel family, most notably John's father Sir William Herschel (1738-1822), discoverer of the planet Uranus and stellar astronomy pioneer; his aunt Caroline Lucretia Herschel (1750-1848), another noted astronomer; and to a lesser extent, his son Sir William James Herschel (1833-1917), who first introduced the use of fingerprints as a means of official identification; as well as other Herschel family members, scientific colleagues and friends.

The one-year project will allow the Center to arrange and describe the papers according to current archival practices and enhance access to the materials. The papers will be re-housed to better protect and preserve the materials long-term. The creation of an online finding aid will raise awareness and enhance access to the papers and represents the first complete and searchable description of the collection, making it readily available to users.

The Ransom Center's collection of the Herschels is exceeded in size only by the collection at the Royal Society in London. The Herschel family papers at the Ransom Center form a significant resource for the study of the history of science in general and also for studies in several individual fields, such as astronomy, chemistry, physics and mathematics. The lives of the Herschels, their pioneering achievements, their interactions with other leading scientists of their time and their influence on their colleagues' work are topics scholars may pursue in the papers.